Odisha: Highest one-day Covid spike of 3861, tests lowest in week

BHUBANESWAR: In the highest one-day spike so far, 3,861 persons tested positive for Covid-19, increasing the number of the total infected persons in Odisha to 1,27,892 on Monday. The all-time one-day high came on a day the state tested 45,165 samples, the lowest in past one week. Ten more died, raising virus death toll to 556.
Stating that Covid-19 cases are rising in the state like in other parts of the country for whatever reasons, special relief commissioner Pradeep Jena appealed people to comply with various Covid norms to check the rising numbers. “To strike a balance between life and livelihood, the government has relaxed shutdown and lockdown restrictions. However, this has led to some people not obeying the norms of social distancing, wearing of masks and avoiding unnecessary crowding in public places. I would like to remind that we can’t afford to push the entire society to greater risk of infections due to reckless behaviours of these people,” Jena said.
“I appeal everyone to obey the norms to reduce infections and also keep a watch on the violators. I would like to tell that there would be stricter enforcement against violations,” he said.
As has been the trend this month, Khurda led the districts with the highest 767 positive cases. Cuttack (386), Jajpur (285), Puri (200), Jharsuguda (199), Bargarh (176), Mayurbhanj (122), Sonepur (117) and Balasore (105) reported high number of positive cases.Tourism minister Jyoti Panigrahi is among the infected.
The new deaths include three men aged 38, 52 and 59 years from Ganjam and one man each from Balasore (56 years), Bhubaneswar (53), Kalahandi (55), Koraput (70), Nayagarh (55) and Rayagada (60). A woman aged 70 years died in Cuttack.